Tutorial [4]

Lionel and I finally emerged from the tunnel exit of the cave.

"Wow."

Lionel's voice echoed with awe beside me.

If I hadn't already anticipated what lay beyond the cave, I would likely be expressing my amazement as well.

Even with my foreknowledge, I couldn't help but be awestruck by the sight before us.

Contrary to the darkness of the cave, the outside world was bathed in light, with the cave situated atop a small hill rather than in a low-lying area.

From our vantage point, we had a sweeping view of the surrounding landscape, and what lay ahead was nothing short of breathtaking.

A lush green forest stretched out before us, filled with ancient trees and teeming with vibrant life. It was a stunning display of nature's magnificence.

However, I couldn't linger in admiration for long.

While my fellow chosen ones remained unaware, I knew all too well the dangers lurking within this seemingly tranquil forest.

As we gazed out at the forest, our attention was drawn to a towering pillar of blue light in the distance.

It stood out prominently against the backdrop of greenery, almost as if it were beckoning us closer with its brilliant glow.

Despite its allure, the pillar was quite distant from our current position.

At a normal walking pace, it would take us over four hours to reach the location of the blue light.

Of course, that estimate assumed that nothing unexpected occurred along the way.

With no one else in sight around us, it seemed that the other teams that had emerged from the cave before us had already made their way down the hill.

"Let's head down," I said to Lionel.

"Yes," he replied softly, without stuttering this time. It seemed his anxiety had diminished somewhat.

Perhaps it was due to the rapport I had established with him, or maybe because the outside world appeared less threatening than he had imagined.

Observing the relaxed expression on his face, I suspected it was more likely the latter.

I knew, however, that his demeanour would soon change.

Moving forward, Lionel and I descended the hill.

Our destination? It was clearly the distant blue pillar of light, the only prominent feature in sight.

As I gazed at the pillar in the distance, I summoned the tower challenge panel.

[Tutorial Floor Challenge]

Reach the next floor in three days.

Reward: Low grade Stats Boost Potion.

Failure: Death.

Floor master remark: Do your best to survive!

Based on what we could see, the blue pillar looked like what the panel meant by the "next floor."

Given the distance between us and the pillar and the duration of the challenge, it looked very easy.

But would it be called a challenge if it were this easy?

No, and indeed, that wasn't the case.

The blue pillar of light ahead was indeed going to take us to another place, but it wasn't to the next floor of the tower, but rather to the next level of the tutorial.

The location we were in the tower was where the first level of the tutorial took place, and our goal was to reach the blue pillar.

Even though there was a twist relating to the pillar, since the first level of the tutorial was just to reach the pillar of light, wasn't it still easy?

To others who didn't know what awaited them in the forest, it might seem like a breeze.

However, would the tutorial Floor master have emphasised on surviving if the tutorial was easy?

In reality, the first level and subsequent levels of the tutorial were a race against time. We had to reach the next floor while overcoming obstacles within three days.

In the first level of the tutorial, the forest was the obstacle placed to stop us.

However, the race against time would be different for me and Lionel.

Aside from racing against time to reach the next floor, I also had to utilise all the tutorial levels to make us stronger for what the future holds and my plans ahead.

I silently turned to look at Lionel beside me, feeling a hint of pity in my eyes.

My plan was to use him in the tutorial Floor to make myself strong enough for what came after it, ensuring I had the minimum strength to protect myself.

It made me feel a little guilty, but since he would also benefit from it, the guilt was small.

Taking my gaze away from Lionel, I turned to look at the path ahead of us.

We had descended from the hill to find an entrance into the forest.

There was no one around us, so the other teams must have entered the forest as well.

However, I had other plans.

Just like the cave, the path leading into the forest and out of it was equally unsafe.

"Let's go this way," I said to Lionel, gesturing to my left.

A look of confusion appeared on his face as he glanced in the direction I pointed.

He probably wondered why we didn't follow the same route as the others, but eventually, he nodded. Aside from the initial confusion, he didn't show any particular reaction.

He didn't exhibit any form of vigilance toward me, perhaps because he was confident in his ability to protect himself or didn't suspect any ulterior motives from me.

I was grateful for this, as I didn't want to resort to lies as an excuse. However, I couldn't help but shake my head at his lack of vigilance, even toward me.

The current Lionel was still too naive, or perhaps his innocence was due to his upbringing.

Even back on Earth, a place far less dangerous than the Tower, the world could be dark and unpredictable.

You never knew someone's true intentions, and betrayal was always a possibility.

However, I wasn't worried about this. The Lionel in the novel learned about human nature, and this Lionel would too, very soon.

It was ironic, though, as I found myself using him.

Somehow, I felt undeserving of his trust, but...

"My name is Lionel," his voice suddenly reached my ears.

'Huh? What is he saying?'

It was then I realised that we hadn't actually introduced ourselves yet.

Though I knew him already, perhaps a little more than he knew himself, Lionel didn't know me.

"I'm Leo. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," he replied, attempting a joke. "Funny how our names both start with L. A coincidence?"

Before I could reply...

"Awooo!"

A loud howl suddenly echoed in the forest, pulling me out of my thoughts.

'It's starting.'

A few minutes had already passed since we left the cave.

I turned to look at Lionel beside me, who had his sword raised in a combat stance. I was also on guard.

"Mr. L-Leo?" Lionel called me with a shaky voice as he pointed in a certain direction.

I didn't need to look where he was pointing, as I already had my eyes fixed there.

The hill we had just left, where the cave we appeared in was located, a group of large black wolves ran up into the cave.

Soon...

It didn't take long for the sound of human screams to echo from that direction.